Our Hopes of a ‘Deadwood’ Revival are Back, Thanks to One Tweet

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Deadwood, the HBO Western that ran for three seasons, between 2004 and 2006, might not have the breadth of legacy of The Sopranos, or the ratings might of Game of Thrones, but it is nonetheless one of the most influential and powerful series our new “Golden Age” of TV has ever produced. These days, when talk of great TV comes up, everyone always scoffs at you if you haven’t seen The Wire, but I think Deadwood is arguably just as essential.

For a while after the show was cancelled, its rabid fanbase had hope that the story creator David Milch had planned would eventually be completed through a pair of TV movies. Then time passed, sets were packed away, actors moved on, and for at least eight years or so now, hopes of a proper ending for Deadwood have been fading into little more than a blurry point on a foggy horizon. As recently as 2012, Milch himself said that continuing the series didn’t seem likely.

Now, a new flicker of hope has fans of the show freaking out. Last night, Garret Dillahunt, who played geologist Francis Wolcott on the show, tweeted this:

Dillahunt didn’t say where he was getting his information, or offer any other details about what might happen and when, but he was a key member of the cast, so if Milch and company were attempting a comeback for the show, it seems like they’d tell him. Regardless of just how “credible” Dillahunt’s sources are, the news spread like wildfire among fans of the show, prompting HBO to release this somewhat encouraging statement.

“In reference to Garret Dillahunt’s tweet regarding the rumored Deadwood movie, there have only been very preliminary conversations.”

“Preliminary conversations” certainly doesn’t mean “Hey, let’s make a movie!” but given how long we’ve waited, and how long we’ve thought the series was well and truly dead, it’ll do for now.